The announcement that the world’s largest lithium-ion battery will be installed in South Australia by the end of 2017, will transform and fast track reliable renewable energy in Australia, as well as globally, according to a leading energy industry authority Dr Alex Wonhas, Managing Director, Energy, Resources & Manufacturing of global engineering and infrastructure advisory company Aurecon.

Under an agreement with the South Australian Government, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s Tesla, and the French renewable energy group Neoen, the battery, three times more powerful than any other system in the world, will be designed to provide power to the grid at times of generation shortfall, as well as providing stability to the network, day and night.

“The coupling of renewable energy with large scale battery storage is a fundamental requirement for an affordable, reliable and sustainable energy future for Australia,” said Dr Wonhas, who was previously Executive Director for CSIRO’s environment, energy and resources sector.

“South Australia is now set to lead the charge in battery storage that will, in turn, revolutionise the way in which renewable energy is integrated into electricity networks.

Aurecon is the Specialist and Technical Engineering Advisor to the Government of South Australia for the implementation of its Energy Plan. The company is providing advice across the entire programme, including the 100 MW battery, emergency gas generator and power supply contracts.

The July 7 announcement of the world’s largest lithium ion grid connected battery system at 100 MW/129 MWh is the culmination of three months of intensive work by Aurecon. This included evaluation and shortlisting of expression of interest submissions, development of the technical and functional requirements of the system and invitation to supply documents, evaluation of respondent proposals and negotiations to enable the final contract to be signed.

Aurecon also supported the Government to engage with various stakeholders, including the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and South Australian transmission and distribution network service providers, in order to identify and advise on grid connection and registration matters.

Engineering the journey toward renewables

“As engineers design for the future, technology and innovative solutions like this will be imperative to meeting tomorrow’s challenges,” comments Dr Wonhas. He goes on tosay that in future, the role of the engineer will be to interrogate impossible challenges, including that of energy supply; and to answer “I think we can!” when others have said it’s impossible.

“I am proud that Aurecon continues to play a key role as an engineer and advisor to Australia’s energy sector, including designing a number of industry-defining renewable ‘firsts’, such as Australia’s first large-scale solar power project connected to the south-eastern grid (Royalla solar photovoltaic plant), and designing one of the largest solar farms in Australia (Bungala Solar Photovoltaic),” he said.

In addition, Aurecon is the engineering partner for Territory Generation’s Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) for Alice Springs, which was recently given the green light by the Northern Territory Government. BESS will provide 5 MW battery energy storage and will be one of the largest grid-connected storage solutions in Australia.

The success of the solar power projects has led to a range of other appointments in the clean energy sector, including Moree Solar Project, Barcaldine Solar Farm, Sun Metals Solar Farm, Capital and Woodlawn Wind Farms.

The non-energy benefits of lighting have long been the focus of the National Lighting Bureau. Established in 1976, the not-for-profit lighting-information service was created to advocate for “High-Benefit Lighting®”; i.e., energy-efficient lighting that is designed to increase worker productivity, reduce visual errors, increase safety, improve security, and attain a variety of related benefits with significant bottom-line values, as documented in an array of case histories available free on the Bureau’s website.

Keeping Current

STANDARD announces the appointment of two new sales managers for Western Canada.

Zane Yakiwchuk has been promoted to Regional Sales Manager for Western Canada. In addition to leading sales in Alberta and the Midwest, Zane will be responsible for the British Columbia market. Many of STANDARD's customers have Trans-Western operations and we believe we can work in a more aligned fashion to develop and execute strategic initiatives that will drive mutual growth. Zane has a long history with STANDARD, starting in 2004 as a Lighting Specialist in B.C. and then moving to Calgary in 2011 to become the Regional Sales Manager for Alberta. Based on his success in Alberta, Zane’s geographic region has been expanded to include Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northwestern Ontario.

Northwinds' sales force leverages over 100 years of combined experience in the province of Ontario and is committed to providing dependable solutions to an always-changing electrical industry. They are dedicated to fulfilling all the supply needs of the electrical distributor and contractor partners with the industry's finest manufacturers.

MERSEN announced the appointment of Ali Julazadeh as Regional Sales Manager for Canada’s Central Region, effective October 23, 2017. Ali joined Mersen in March 2014 in the position of Solutions Engineer, PV Products. Ali recently earned his P.Eng. designation, holds a Bachelors and a Masters of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering from Ryerson University in Toronto and is in the process of completing his MBA.

Ali is based in Mersen’s Mississauga office and can be reached at 416.252.9371.

TE Connectivity (TE), a world leader in connectivity and sensors, has introduced a development kit for its new LUMAWISE Drive LED Holder Type Z50, enabling luminaire designers to purchase a single unit for desktop testing, product evaluation and luminaire prototyping. Each kit contains an LED holder, a cable assembly and a thermal interface material.

The versatile new Hilti task light SL 2-A22 packs a whole lot of illumination into a very small package. Put it on the ground, hang it by its integrated hook, or hold it in a free hand to put the light just where you need it to get the job done.

The fully-adjustable LED panel rotates to provide 360 degrees to get the light where you need it and pivots so you can put 500 lumens of color-accurate white natural light exactly where you need it, while staying cool to the touch. A 3-position switch lets you select the right amount of light based on your needs.

CBS ArcSafe®, a leading manufacturer of remote racking and switching solutions for low- and medium-voltage switchgear, introduces its remote switch actuator (RSA) for the ABB/Sace Novomax air circuit breaker (ACB). The lightweight, portable CBS ArcSafe RSA-242 allows technicians to remotely close or trip an ABB/Sace Novomax ACB from a safe distance of up to 300 feet, well outside the arc-flash boundary.